The first drops of the fall camera deluge

Only one week's worth of camera announcements and already it feels as overwhelming as CES. But never fear: Here they are all summarized (in alphabetical order by manufacturer) for easy reading. And remember, we've got a few more weeks of them coming up, so stay tuned.

Canon

The first of Canon's camera announcements--historically the company tends to dribble them out this time of year rather than dump them in one batch--are for its midrange point-and-shoots.

Canon PowerShot Elph 310 HS
Canon

Josh G. poses the question: is the new Elph 510 HS Canon's ultimate soccer mom (or dad) camera? Note that it and the Elph 310 aren't replacements for their similarly named counterparts. In fact, they're not related at all. Quoth Josh: "Canon apparently just wanted to try and confuse the crap out of consumers by giving them similar series names." Read more

Panasonic

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 megazoom
Panasonic

Panasonic's announcements cover broader ground (and possibly aren't over yet), with something for every class of shooter. Plus, we promise not to use "reveals" as our verb of choice in headlines for a while.

The best megazoom isn't a matter of who has the longest lens; without shooting speed and good image quality it's basically just a Freudian specification. That's why when Josh asks Panasonic Lumix FZ150: King of the megazooms? he's talking about a new lower-resolution sensor that he hopes "might fix its photo woes." Read more

Panasonic's Lumix X 14-42mm lens
Panasonic

While improved communications for direct camera-to-network image sharing are at the top of lots of wish lists, we're not sure that Panasonic's Club Lumix is the right approach. Panasonic reveals the Wi-Fi'd Lumix FX90 camera, which requires that you use its new service to take advantage. Read more

In contrast to other companies that leave older products to languish or make cosmetic changes that don't address their flaws, Panasonic releases notable firmware for the Lumix LX5, promising performance improvements. I want to give the company props for that. And apologize for using the wrong photo in the initial post. Read more

Nikon

While people were eagerly waiting for Nikon to drop a mirrorless interchangeable-lens model into the pool, we got splashed by a point-and-shoot cannonball instead. Still, like Canon, Nikon tends to announce in small clumps rather than all at once, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some more announcements coming.

The arrival of Nikon's series of projector cameras meant you didn't need to be near a TV to inflict every single one of your vacation photos on an unsuspecting audience. Now the Nikon Coolpix S1200pj camera projects iPhone, iPad. So, via the cloud you can now force your friends to watch photos and videos from every vacation you've ever taken. WIN! Read more

While I headlined it "Nikon Coolpix P7100: A subtle update," I just noticed that Josh's caption says, "The Coolpix P7100 has a backside only an enthusiast could love." He's kind of right about that. It's also true that the Nikon's high-end compact falls into the category of cameras with minimal updates. Read more

Sony

Sony is the only company to announce high-end models, blanketing us with five cameras and a camcorder, three of which target shooters with $1,200 to $2,000 to spend on each piece of fancy new equipment. Plus there are some nifty accessories; if you're interested in the NEX-VG20 camcorder or the accessories, you should read my overview post.

The more modest NEX-5N will likely be the bigger-selling camera, but the NEX-7, with its 24-megapixel sensor and full complement of controls and video features in a sort-of pocket-size body, really underscores Sony's mighty NEX aspirations. Read more

Finally, Sony's translucent-mirror SLT series has till now been relegated to the sub-$1,000 market segment, and its new SLT-A65 will be the new top camera there, but Sony gets serious with its SLT camera line thanks to the SLT-A77. It claims pro-level speed and build quality, but that 24-megapixel sensor might do more harm than good. Read more